By Editor
At least 170 people have been killed following a brutal terrorist attack on Woro, a rural community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, according to residents and local sources.
The attack, which began on Sunday evening and continued into the early hours of Monday, is believed to have been carried out by a terrorist group locally known as Mamuda, residents said. Victims include men, women, and children.
Sources familiar with the incident said the violence was triggered after the district head of Woro, Alhaji Salihu Umar, reported a letter allegedly sent by the terrorists to security agencies. The letter reportedly informed the community that the group intended to visit the village to preach at an unspecified date.
Suspecting a potential security threat, the village head alerted authorities. However, residents believe the terrorists may have had informants within the security apparatus, as the attackers appeared aware that the letter had been reported.
Angered by the disclosure, the terrorists reportedly launched a retaliatory assault on the community, killing scores of residents, setting homes ablaze, and kidnapping several people. During the attack, the assailants allegedly used the personal sport utility vehicle of the village head, whose whereabouts remain unknown.
Local sources described scenes of widespread destruction, with bodies of victims found mutilated across the community. Graphic images circulating among residents have underscored the scale and brutality of the assault.
The attack in Woro follows similar deadly incidents in recent weeks in the Borgu axis of neighboring Niger State, where hundreds of people were reportedly killed in comparable attacks attributed to the same group.
Residents and observers have called on the federal government to urgently strengthen security across the Borgu region, spanning parts of Kebbi, Niger, and Kwara states, to prevent further violence.
Community leaders emphasized that the victims of the attack were Muslims, warning against attempts to mischaracterize the killings along religious lines. They stressed that the loss of innocent lives, regardless of religion, demands urgent and decisive action.
As of the time of reporting, there has been no official statement from security agencies confirming the casualty figures or detailing arrests related to the attack.
Sources:Farooq Kperogi